For the first time since the departure of Greg Jamison nearly two years ago, representatives of the Sharks ownership group are making themselves available to the media for an on-the-record session about the team’s operation.

But Kevin Compton, arguably the most active of the 11 people who comprise Sharks Sports and Entertainment, rejected the suggestion that the session is a strategic move to increase the visibility of owners who have tried to stay in the background since Jamison left.

Instead, Compton said the press conference that both he and Stratton Sclavos will attend is an attempt to spell out the decision-making structure in place and the extent of ownership involvement.

Still, any topic is supposed to be fair game.

Compton is the closest San Jose has to a visible owner, representing the team on the NHL Board of Governors, showing up in the locker room on occasion, appearing in a Forbes magazine story on team financing.

But he generally prefers to stay in the background, saying it’s a matter of his management style to let the people running things day-to-day handle things. While he did address league-wide issues at the December meeting of the NHL board of governors in Pebble Beach, he usuallly refers any hockey-related question to General Manager Doug Wilson and any business-related question to Executive Vice-President Malcolm Bordelon.

In fact, Compton, who gained clout in Silicon Valley as a venture capitalist with Kleiner Perkins, arguably has been a more visible hockey figure outside San Jose. The new rink at Notre Dame – the university from which his son recently graduated – is the Compton Family Ice Arena in recognition of the fact he was the lead donor in its fund-raising drive. The facility opened last fall.

The team has been operating without a CEO since Jamison’s departure. That means one less administrative layer as six executive vice-presidents meet regularly with Compton and Sclavos, who carry the authority of the entire ownership group. A third owner, Hasso Plattner, also is reportedly more involved than most of the other nine investors, but, based in Germany, he is not on the scene as much.

The Sharks organizational structure came into question after the team was eliminated from the playoffs by the St. Louis Blues in five game of the first round – the quickest exit in franchise history.

Questions were raised about Wilson’s accountability for that and the team’s season-long struggles. Eleven days after the season ended, the ownership group ended up issuing a brief statement that expressed disappointment in the team’s performance while backing Wilson as the person to get things back on track.

******If the question of profits and losses comes up, expect Compton to say the team lost in excess of $15 million last season — a figure he seems to be treating very matter-of-factly and not as something to whine about. That number, by the way, is significantly higher than the one Jamison would occasionally provide; the team’s finances are not open to public examination.

With the NHL’s owners and players back at the bargaining table this summer in search of a new collective bargaining agreement, some might argue that $15 million figure should be taken with a grain of salt. No linkage at all, Compton said, when I brought that up. Just the reality.

*****The session with Compton and Sclavos will be followed by another with Wilson, the general manager’s annual pre-draft meeting that updates his assessment of team needs and any personnel decisions made to this point.

This was the session two years ago when Wilson announced he didn’t intend to bring Evgeni Nabokov back. If Wilson discloses similar information Monday, expect the list of names of those not returning to start with Colin White and Jim Vandermeer.

Wilson – like many GMs – doesn’t want to tip his hand in the run-up to the draft. He does usually state that his policy is to take the best available player rather than key in on a particular position – and that isn’t likely to change.

I’m also guessing that Wilson will end whatever little suspense might be out there as far as Todd McLellan’s return to the team next year. All indications are that he is coming back for a fifth season, but the GM has held off on a formal announcement. With any luck, Wilson is ready to talk about the assistant coaching situation as well.

*****Unless trades this week alter things, the Sharks have the 17th overall pick Friday evening in Pittsburgh. Their next pick is 55th overall, a 2nd round compensatory choice for not signing Patrick White, a former Vancouver first-rounder who came to San Jose in the Christian Ehrhoff deal.

Four more picks follow, one in the fifth round, one in the sixth and two in the seventh.

*****Speaking of trades, those Rick Nash rumors have started up again. The Sharks were on Nash’s list of acceptable destinations last February when the Columbus captain was shopped around, and it’s a very safe bet that Wilson and Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howsom have had contact in the last week or so.

The price? It’d only be a guess and there are enough others playing that game.

*****One last thing. Sadly, the tone of the blog comments has once again dropped below the preferred level of civility.

But beyond tone, there is the issue of simply making things up and passing it as genuine information. One commenter, for example, purported to have received an email from Compton that said Mike Ricci would be the new assistant coach in charge of the penalty kill. When I asked Compton about that, he indicated it was nonsense.

I’ve also noticed that multiple user names are once again being attached to the same IP address. So time for a new rule:

Only one name for each IP address — and I don’t want to hear about six people sharing a computer.

I won’t pretend to be monitoring every hour, every day. But when I do and if I see the practice continuing, that IP address goes on the banned list. No sock puppets, no exceptions. And expect to be kicked off, too, if busted for out-and-out misrepresentation of others’ words.

Plenty of room for honest debate out there. Zero tolerance – at least at WTC — for that type of deception on either side.

*****I’m still not back on the clock full-time going forward. But with Monday’s session and the draft later this week, I’ll be filing here regularly as well as stories for the Merc, print and online. Should be a busy two weeks leading up to the usual free-agent frenzy.

David Pollak

David Pollak has been following the NHL forever and at the Mercury News as an editor or reporter since 1987. For almost a decade he wrote about the Sharks as the paper's Fan in the Stands before joining the sports department in 2001. He became the Sharks beat writer before the 2007-08 season and began this blog at that time. You can also follow him on Twitter at @PollakOnSharks.

While I don’t disagree with your assessment of Clowe what if any chances do the Sharks make to the forward core?

Are you really willing to roll the dice with the same top six?

Thornton, Marleau, Pavelski, Havlat, and Couture are not going anywhere. So that leaves Clowe.

As for Murray, where do you play him? Look at the Sharks current depth chart.

1. Burns
2. Vlasic
3. Boyle
4. Stuart
5. Braun
6. Demers
7. Murray

Unless DW moves Braun (unlikely) or Demers (possible but still unlikely) where does Murray fit in. Murray has his strengths but the question is do they make up for his weaknesses which are glaring.

kplod65

forget posters. maybe the merc ought to investigate the truth of the owner’s lie, contention that they lost $15 mill last season.

Adam

Interesting with the Draft coming up. Take a look at Sharks draft history. Beware some of years were misses.

Last drafted shark to play in NHL Wingels (class 2008). Nothing from 09, 10, 11. Not expecting anyone next year either (not counting Coyle who will play for the Wild this year) Although I have heard good things about Hamilton but haven’t seen him play.

and if they did lose that money because of a short playoff run, then why aren’t the owners holding Wilson accountable ?

NoCupWithDW

Catching up on the previous posts about Brad Stuart.

a couple of the points I think most people seemed to miss. First, Andrew Murray is a UFA and was not going to be resigned by the Sharks. A body had to be removed from the Sharks roster to make room on the roster for Stuart. So, Murray goes, Stuart is added. A swap of UFAs with ZERO cost to the Sharks. to be fair, there probably is some cost associated with the paper shuffling, still this portion of the trade is just paper shuffling.

The 7th round draft pick is CONDITIONAL. If the sharks do not sign Stuart, then Detroit does not get the Draft pick. More paper shuffling…

So what this comes down to is getting 3 weeks of negotiating time for Stuart for potentially a 7th round draft pick. Everyone knows I have been extremely critical of DW’s trading away of our team’s future for worthless players. On this trade, I give him a pass, as it allows DW to hopefully nail down solid DMen at a lower contract price. If Stuart does not sign by July 1st, then we keep our draft pick and more paper shuffling.

How about a simple business concept applied to the NHL owners — who usually understand business to begin with. Any business owner expecting income from any source is a bad business manager. Any NHL owner expecting income from the playoffs is not living in reality because there is NEVER any guarantee that any team will make the playoffs.

I know some are going to blast away at the details. That would lead me to believe you might not get it. That is, you don’t get either business or the owners passion for hockey.

NoCupWithDW

@53

Interesting stat. It appears that in the 10 years since DW has take control of the Sharks, the Sharks have only 6-7 guys on the NHL roster who where acquired via the draft. Compare that to the 10-12 guys who where drafted and are currently playing for other teams. Including, Matt Carle, Seto, Coyle, Mcginn, Bonino, Michalek. And do not forget the players drafted with our draft picks, such as Tyler Enis, David Perron, and Kyle Palmieri.

The players listed above would make the Sharks a better team. I know, you have to give to get. Problem is, who did we “get” for the giving we have done?

kplod65

iow, 57 is as usual defending mgmt raising ticket prices. he should put Compton-Wilson beside his name

Adam

NoCupwith DW

True but to take that a step further.

Seto and Coyle = Burns.

I think I am in the minority when I say I am a big fan of this deal. Burns is an incredible athlete. I am really excited about his upside. He only needs better upper body conditioning and some better decision making and he is a potential #1 defenseman. Seto was a hit or miss player. Sometimes he was a force with the puck but often he lurked in the zone not creating enough scoring to justify the ice time. Coyle could be the next best thing since sliced bread but he could also turn out to be a Wishart part II. Overall, I believe this deal is either a draw or a Sharks win.

Matt Carle + other = Boyle

The aforementioned Ty Wishart was supposed to be the Sharks best d prospect along with Carle. Fans complained about giving him up for the older Boyle. Well Wishart couldn’t even stick with the Islanders. Boyle has been one of the best d man in the league since being aquired. Carle is a good defenseman but and this is a big but he played with Chris Pronger during what I believe was his best year. Overall DW win.

McGinn = Winnek and gallerdi

Not sure on this one. I was a big McGinn fan and never understood the way the coaching staff used him. That being said the team needed more depth. So DW pulled the trigger. I turned into a Winnek fan over the rest of the season. I can’t say the same for Gallerdi. Overall, Sharks lose this deal if Winnek doesn’t resign. Might lose it anyways if McGinn hits his potential as a 20-30 goal scorer.

Michalek = Heatley

Hey we got rid of Cheecho’s contract. You have to give to get. Long term. Michaek is better than Havlat so DW lost this trade to. Oh well can’t win them all.

kplod65

Coyle is no Wishart. Coyle will be a good nhl player, not a star, but a solid NHL forward.

slappy

NoCup@55
“The 7th round draft pick is CONDITIONAL.”

Imo, giving up a draft pick to a WC rival, even a 7th Round one, was unnecessary under the circumstances. BSs family home is LG – a few months ago he made it pretty clear that family was his priority for his new contract. Calling the pick “conditional” is putting a happy face on something that was an inevitable “slam dunk” signing. What other CA team would even bother rivaling the Sharks for BS on July 01??? Ducks are rebuilding ( youth movement) on a tight internal budget. Kings’ current vet Dmen ( Mitchell, Scuderi, Greene) who helped the team win the SC are all under contract for at least another year.

Some of the Sharks 7th Round picks previously – no stars every time our team had 7th round picks ( 16 in 8 years) but a 1/4 ratio for making/likely making our roster is pretty darn good – there are some gems the Sharks scouts have found previously – no need to toss a 7th round pick for no reason – just sayin’…

IMHO, bad trade, Coyle will develop into one of the best young centers in the next 3-4 years, and it is too early to tell on Zach Phillips(2011 1st pick). Burns has a history of concussions and his big hitting days are behind him.

the trade was more knee jerk reaction then anything else.

Boyle for Carle, Wishart, et al. Got to disagree this worked out in our favor, given that the #1 draft choice included in the trade is Kyle Palmieri, who has a very good upside in Anaheim. Palmieri had a hat trick against the sharks in March, 2012. Boyle is definitely a fan favorite in SJ, and as such, his glaring mistakes, of which there have been many, are overlooked by the masses. Because Boyler puts people in seats, I’ll call this even, as a pure hockey trade, sharks lose.

Mcginn + prospects for 1 pine stiter and a UFA:

Not even close, Sharks lost big time, regardless of whether Winnek resigns.

Heatly:

Because of all the players involved, etc, not sure this one worked in the Sharks favor. Dumping Cheech’s contract was a good move. But it created more $$ issues, forcing the trading of Error for basically nothing. Michalek had a break out year, but I believe Michalek’s 2011-2012 season had more to do with him being in the final year of his contract then anything else. So, in the end, the trade is Michalek and Cheech for Havlat. Slight edge to the Sharks.

So the Merc has officialy announced that Tod will be staying. Who knew!

slappy

Adam@64
“I admit DW has made some bad trades with our draft picks but this is simply not one of them.”

You and I will have to agree to disagree on this one. Imo the BS signing is not directly connected to what may happen with DM. Not saying DM will not be traded – actually theres a VG chance he will as part of a trade package – he is one of the few vets we have who does not have a NTC/NMC – but that possibility is not contingent on whether or not BS is signed.

In recent years, Sharks have gone with a 7 or 8 player Defense roster (as insurance against injuries). Vandy and CW are UFAs who would not be reupped – that represents 2 vacant Dmen roster spots right there ( and with a savings of $2 M).

hondr

Well, congratulations to whack-a-mole Wilson. I guess if you whack enough moles, you’ll eventually whack the right one, just by accident. 😉

And Stuart gave the Sharkys a hometown discount as well. And for only 3 years. Nicely done, plastic hair guy. I assume Stuart’ll wait, see how it works out and then look at an extension.

But Wilson got one right for once, so props to the guy.

Now dump Thornton for picks and prospects as Step 2.

Then trade one of Boyle/Burns for picks and prospects (preferably Burns, but whack-a-mole isn’t prone to admit a recent mistake, so probably Boyle).

Then sign Suter and Jackman. Just do it.

Sharks go from one of the poorest D corps in the NHL to arguably one of the better.

Use any remaining cash to bolster the forward lines. I’d seek to dump Havlat for value as well, if anybody thinks he’s worth giving up value, but again, Wilson ain’t likely to want to do that so recently after overpaying for a guy.

Do the above and the Sharks may have a chance to actually recover the puck and get it out of their own end smartly, rather than watching the never ending Chinese firedrill, and help themselves become something other than a 5 on 5 non-entity.

Not to mention, the picks and prospects will be arriving from dumping those big contracts. That rebalances the salary structure and reframes the talent pipeline, and builds a bit of fan excitement for the future.

If necessary, one of Braun/Murray/Demers can be moved for value, and all do have NHL value, imo. Personally, the above would make 8 D, and I’d skate them all until further notice, in best workable rotation. Just wait for injuries or a proper deal. You can never have enough defensemen.

AJ

FYI… Wilson is supposed to be on 95.7 at 4:15 today.

Adam

NoCupWithDW,

I did forget to mention the 1st rnd pick but also forgot the 2nd rnd pick the Sharks got in the deal which I believe was used on Dominic Moore. Although that doesn’t help my case. As I said I believe I am in the minority and could turn out to be wrong about Burns. However, I don’t think I will be wrong about Seto and limited value he will bring to the Wild. Will have to see how this deal looks in 5 years.

As for the Boyle trade, I have to admit I lost some respect for your argument which is a shame because I enjoy reading your posts. Really Kyle Palmieri? Is that why the deal for Dan Boyle was a bad one for San Jose? Come on fight fair.

I mean listen I am not going to say everything DW did was right because that is clearly not the case but there really is no need to invent mistakes.

Here are Boyle’s stats. I placed in () his rank in points League wide for defenseman.

No offense to Carle and the supposed superstar in training Palermi but if the Boyle trade isn’t a win for DW me thinks nothing would ever be in your eyes.

slappy

Adam@72
“Really Kyle Palmieri?”

Palmieri just turned 21 in Feb. This past reg season he played 18 Games with the Ducks had 7 TP( 4G+3A) and was +3. KP was selected to play in the WC this year – in 7 games he recorded 4 TP (2 G+2 A) and was a +2. Not too shabby stats. His initial rating was 8, ironically Boyle was referenced as what a comparable 8 NHL graduate player might be. I wouldnt mock KP if I were you, certainly at this point, considering his youth.

Hockeys Future ranked KP as one of the 50 top hockey prospects for this coming season. (#29). By comparison, Charlie Coyle, now owned by the Wild, was ranked #18. It didnt appear that the Sharks had any prospects to make the Top 50 Prospect cut.( I glanced thru the list quickly).

But it was the 26 pick overall. I understand hindsight is 20/20 but the Sharks acquired a #1 defenseman with this pick.

I am sorry but I just don’t get the criticism. I am not saying Palmieri wont be a good player because I have no idea. All I am saying is DW had the chance to get a #1 defenseman which 4 years later looks like a great move.

Could Palmieri change that evaluation possibly but keep in mind that works both ways.

Meaning what do the Sharks look like with no Dan Boyle. Me thinks Sharks don’t make it to final four two years in a row without him.